900lbs Of Creative Launches FC Dallas VR Experience
by 900lbs of Creative
On October 8th, 900lbs of Creative debuted their industry-first virtual reality goalie simulation for Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas team. This took place at FC Dallas’ exclusive “Meet The Team” event at Toyota Stadium. At the event, fans were able to experience an “industry-first” game with the HTC Vive, due to its high level of interaction and scenes specifically created for this game. Among fans, FC Dallas’ President, Dan Hunt, Coach Oscar Pareja, and goalie Chris Seitz were also able to experience the goalie simulation firsthand.
900lbs of Creative is an innovation lab and marketing studio that utilizes the newest technologies to create incredible user experiences. Their team includes experiential designers, interactive artists, and visual content developers that work on virtual reality, interactive installations, exhibits, and augmented reality, to name a few.
For the game, the 900lbs team created a futuristic soccer arena by using industry leading game development software. The infrared-based VR game uses the HTC Vive and takes the users into the soccer arena with the viewpoint of a goalie. Their goal is to try to win a penalty shootout for their team. Using physical movements in real-time, users act as a real-life goalie to try to block incoming shots from a virtual avatar.
“Soccer is becoming so much more popular in the United States and it’s an exciting time for the sport,” Steve Deitz, CEO, 900lbs of Creative said. “Interactive technology is our tool and we can create more ‘layers’ for the game experience and help generate more fans.” In the future, they hope this VR experience will enhance fans’ game day experience when they come to watch FC Dallas play.
“We plan to use this game for other sports arenas, and the game has already received attention from international soccer clubs and nonprofit organizations,”Paula Gean from 900lbs of Creative explained. “Giving back is important to our company, we also plan to collaborate with a non-profit to re-purpose the game for kids with disabilities, who otherwise would not be able to play soccer.”
